


Not the Way You Play the Game

by avianscribe



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Babysitter Cor Leonis, Babysitting, Child Ignis Scientia, Child Noctis Lucis Caelum, Cor needs hazard pay, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-01 00:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20456066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avianscribe/pseuds/avianscribe
Summary: Prompt: It's Ignis' first day in the Citadel.... and Noct's governess needed the day off. Cor is  assigned to watch them both.





	Not the Way You Play the Game

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyoftheDrow (Ane_Rhapsodos)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ane_Rhapsodos/gifts).

The Citadel was Big and Scary, and even though Ignis had been there many times before, this time was Different, because this time he met the Prince. Ignis would still live with his parents, but he would spend his days  _ here _ , at the Citadel, with Prince Noctis.

After the King introduced them to each other, he himself led them to a room he called “the nursery.” Ignis wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. He was too big to need a nursery; but it was where Prince Noctis spent his days, and therefore Ignis would too. 

The King left them there alone for a time. Ignis surveyed the room with wide eyes. Noctis took his hand and guided him around to show him the art table and the puzzles and the shelf where he kept his favorite games. "I like  _ this _ one best," Noctis said, and grabbed a brightly colored box. "Play with me!"

Ignis didn't want to play, but he was supposed to be Noct 's brother now. Ignis didn't have any brothers of his own and wasn't quite sure what being a brother meant, but he felt that “playing games with your little brother even when you don’t want to” was something a brother should do. 

He wanted to be a  _ good _ brother.

So he sat with Noctis and they played, even though Noctis didn’t play the game the way the rules said they should. (Noctis  _ really  _ didn’t like it when Ignis actually  _ read  _ the rules out loud to him -- and Ignis didn’t want to fight, so he let Noctis have his way. But he was determined to learn the rules for real so that he could tell Noctis when he was doing it wrong. He was pretty sure  _ that  _ was something a big brother was supposed to do.)

They played until noises outside the nursery door caught Ignis’s attention. Growing voices. They seemed to be arguing, and that put Ignis on edge.

As they drew closer, one angry voice said, “I didn’t sign up for the Crownsguard just to be assigned babysitting duty.”

“Please, Cor,” said a placating voice -- it sounded like the King. “It’s just one day. Miss Lenis is ill, and we’ll make other arrangements if she can’t return tomorrow. Just… please.”

The angry voice groaned. “You know I can’t say no when you make that face, Regis.” 

“You can’t say no at all; I’m the King who has just given his Crownsguard an order.”

A long pause. Then, in a voice oddly stiff, “Will that be all, Your Majesty?” 

A sigh. “That will be all. I’ll send a lunch up, and there will be someone to relieve you mid-afternoon.”

“Thank you, sire.” 

Another sigh. “Thank  _ you, _ Cor.” Then heavy footsteps going away.

The handle on the door turned, and Ignis snapped to full attention, ignoring Noct’s protests that he continue the game. This was more important… someone was coming in, and Ignis was the oldest person in the room, and that made him Responsible. He needed to make sure everything was okay; that was one of his duties as the Prince’s Hand. He’d had everything explained to him -- they hadn’t  _ said _ he needed to protect the prince, but he was pretty sure that that was just an oversight; they must have been confused or forgotten.

A man came in. 

He was tall and muscular and… was that a katana that just disappeared into blue sparks? Blue sparks. That meant he had access to the King’s magic. Ignis relaxed, but only a little… if he was a King’s man, it should be okay. But he shouldn’t let his guard down.

“Unca Cor!” Noctis exclaimed, and ran to the man before Ignis could stop him. 

Cor. This man was Cor, the Immortal…? Ignis had heard of him, and what he’d heard left him frozen in place, in more than a little awe.

Cor looked angry. He peered at Ignis with a deep frown and pursed his lips. Then he turned his eyes to the little royal at his feet. “Highness,” he said. “Miss Lenis can’t make it today, as she is ill.” 

“Oh,” Noctis said. Then he brightened. “Are you going to stay with us today?” 

Cor’s face pinched like he’d tasted a lemon. “Yes,” he said.

“Yay!” Noctis said, and jumped about in a little dance. He stopped back at Cor’s feet. “What shall we do?”

“You can do whatever you like, Highness,” Cor said. “I’m just here to make sure you two don’t get into any trouble.”

That made Ignis so righteously indignant that he interrupted Noct’s “But you can--” with an angry “We would never!”

And then the Immortal’s eyes pierced him. “You must be young Scientia,” he said. “You certainly don’t  _ look _ like the type to get into trouble, but that makes you all the more dangerous.” 

Ignis wasn’t sure whether Cor was joking or not. 

… He kind of liked being thought dangerous.

“But Miss Lenis plays with me,” Noctis said, interrupting Ignis’s thoughts. “Are… are you going to play with me?” Noctis turned a pleading face up to Cor, with wide eyes and quivering lip. 

Ignis stared in astonishment.

Cor grunted and Ignis looked up at him. 

“No,” Cor said, glaring at Noctis. “Don’t you  _ dare  _ do that, you little monster. No, I’m not going to play. You kids just… go find something to do.” He gestured towards the shelves of games and books.

Noctis made a small noise. “I’m not a monster...!” he said an a quavering voice. His eyes filled with tears. 

And now Ignis had to do something. He was Noct’s  _ brother _ now, and it was his  _ duty  _ to stand up for him -- even against Cor the Immortal. He could do it; Cor himself had said he was  _ dangerous. _ He straightened his back and clenched his fists. “You take that back!” he said, and stomped on Cor’s boot.

Cor howled and cursed and hopped backward on his other foot. Straight into the back of the nursery’s plush sofa. He flipped over the sofa’s tall back, his booted feet flew into the air, and he landed on his back on the other side with a loud grunt. The boots slowly sank until they rested on the top of the sofa’s back -- Ignis guessed he’d slid off the cushions onto the floor. Cor groaned.

The sight of it all -- and the groan -- broke Ignis’s stunned astonishment. He stifled a chuckle. Then Noctis made a wet-sounding giggle, through his tears, and then both of them were laughing. Ignis couldn’t help it. 

From the other side of the couch came a feeble “Regis, I’m gonna kill you…”

The door opened, and a tall man entered -- a man Ignis recognized as the King’s Shield; he’d seen him on TV standing behind King Regis. The man looked concerned. “I was passing by and heard -- Cor, are you all right?” He rushed to Cor’s side and stared down at him, his face full of confusion.

“No, I’m not  _ all right, _ Clarus,” Cor said. “These two are  _ hellions.” _

Ignis tried to still his laughter, but it was hard. Clarus looked at the two of them, the beginnings of a smile forming on his face. “I don’t know -- they look perfectly fine to me.”

"Help me up, Clarus," Cor said, an edge in his voice. 

Ignis shared a look with Noct while Clarus helped Cor up from the floor. Noct’s eyes still glistened with large tears, and his cheeks were rosy, but he was smiling. Looking at his smile, Ignis relaxed. A little. Now there were  _ two _ grown-ups in the room, and both of them apparently were King’s men -- though he still wasn’t sure about Cor. 

And Cor didn’t seem very nice. He’d need watching.

But now Noctis was smiling, and Cor was standing again, and he and Clarus were talking in low voices. Ignis started paying attention just as Cor was saying “... until this afternoon, but I don’t think I can--”

“Unca Cor,” Noctis said, tentatively. 

Cor froze and he and Clarus both looked at the Prince. 

Noctis looked hopeful. “D’you wanna play  _ now?” _

Clarus’s mouth quirked. Cor grumbled. Clarus nudged him. “Humor them, Cor,” he said. “From my experience with Gladio, it pays off in the long run.”

“It’d better,” Cor muttered. 

Noctis pulled Cor over to their activity table under Clarus’s smiling gaze. Cor was still scowling, and Ignis was pretty sure Cor wouldn’t be the best playing companion. Clarus gave a last wave and nod and left, closing the door gently behind him.

None of the chairs for their activity table were quite big enough for Cor, but he dropped into one anyway, and sat stiffly straight, knees awkwardly bent, and eyed the colorful game spread on the table with a broad frown. 

Noctis was in the middle of explaining the rules, but he wasn’t explaining them  _ right. _ After the second time of getting the play sequence out of order, Ignis couldn’t be silent anymore.  _ _ “That’s not how you do it,” Ignis said. “The rules say--”

“I don’t care what the rules say,” Noct said. “This is how I always play it with Miss Lenis.”

“Then Miss Lenis is letting you do it wrong,” Ignis said. He picked up the lid of the game, where the rules were printed. “Here, this is how--”

“I don’t care, and you’re a poopy-head!” Noctis said, reaching for the lid. “I wanna play it my way.”

Ignis stared at Noctis. He realized his mouth was open and he closed it with a snap. He couldn’t believe Noctis was being so… so dumb!

But he couldn’t  _ tell  _ Noctis he was being dumb; Noctis was the prince. And Ignis was pretty sure a big brother wasn’t  _ supposed  _ to answer name-calling with more name-calling. (As much as he wanted to call Noctis a stupid baby.)

Then Cor made a strangled noise. Ignis looked up at him. His cheeks had turned a little red, and he’d covered his mouth with one hand. If Ignis didn’t know any better, he might have thought Cor was trying not to laugh.

Then Ignis felt a tug on the box lid. Noctis had grabbed it and now he was pulling at it. Ignis tightened his fist -- and in that moment, the edge of the box popped with a papery ripping sound. 

Noctis stared at the now-torn lid, then gaped at Ignis with eyes full of betrayal. “You broke it!”

Ignis’s heart leapt into his throat. “I didn’t!” he said.  _ “You _ pulled on it!” 

“You broke it! It’s my favorite game and you bro--oke it!” Noct’s voice hitched.

It wasn’t Ignis’s fault; he knew it wasn’t. But now Noctis was crying. They had just met, and Ignis was already in trouble. Did this mean he’d be sent away now? “Noctis, I--”

“You broke it!” Noctis yelled through his tears. 

There was a heavy sigh, and Ignis looked up at Cor. His mouth was twisted and he still looked angry, but he put out a hand. “Let me see that,” he said. 

Noctis handed the lid over and Cor took it and stood, and walked over to the shelf full of arts and crafts supplies. He rummaged about in one of the baskets, muttering to himself, and then he pulled something out. A roll of cellophane tape. Noctis sniffled a little as they watched Cor work, and soon Cor held out the repaired box top to Noctis. “Good as new,” he said.

Noctis took it and inspected it closely. “Thank you, Unca Cor,” he said quietly. Then he carefully put all the pieces back into the box and replaced the lid.

“Aren’t you going to play some more?” Cor asked.

“I don’ want Iggy to touch it anymore,” Noctis said quietly. “He broke it.”

_ Iggy?  _ Ignis had never been called that before. But his anger overwhelmed that thought. “I did  _ not!”  _ he said.

“That’s enough,” Cor said.

Noctis ignored him and stood up. “Did too! It’s not the same anymore; it’s got tape on it now and it’s  _ your fault!” _

Ignis stood up too, and looked down at Noctis. “It’s not my fault; you pulled it! I was trying to--”

“Stupidhead!” Noctis yelled, and pushed Ignis in the chest. He wasn’t prepared, and fell back on his bottom. The shock shivered up his spine and his glasses tipped off his nose and into his lap. He looked up at Noctis, stunned.

Noctis stared back, face bright red and nose scrunched up like he was about to cry again. His expression was a combination of angry and surprised. Ignis had no idea why the prince should be surprised; after all, Noctis had pushed him  _ on purpose, _ and what did he think would happen? 

“Hey, you two,” Cor said, reaching a hand towards Noctis. 

Ignis shoved his glasses back on his face and scrambled to his feet. 

Ignis was a big brother. Noctis was his prince. He shouldn’t. He shouldn’t… 

Noctis stuck his tongue out at him.

Ignis snapped. He launched himself at Noctis and the only thing that kept him from grabbing Noct’s hair was Cor’s broad legs that abruptly separated them as he stepped between them. “Ho ho, no you don’t,” he said, and picked Noctis up. 

A frustrated growl made its way through Ignis’s teeth, now that the object of his anger was out of reach. He grabbed Cor’s leg instead, and squeezed as hard as he could. 

Cor yelped and took a bouncing half-step that sent him bowling backwards over the activity table. Noctis shrieked, and Ignis fell as Cor fell. He landed on top of Cor’s legs and grunted as the air was pushed out of his lungs. Then Noctis was crying, and Ignis pushed himself up, trying to figure out if he was hurt.

Underneath him, Cor groaned. 

“Unca Cor?” Noctis said, his voice quavering. He stared at Cor on the ground, and his eyes filled with tears. 

Then Ignis saw, too: blood all over Cor’s face. 

Cor sat up, but his face was bleeding freely, a gash on his forehead dripping blood into his eyes. He tentatively put a hand up to his head and touched where the blood was pouring down -- then looked at his fingers. “Oh,” he said.

Noctis burst into tears. 

Ignis couldn’t help it -- he did the same. Cor, meanwhile, pressed a palm to his bleeding forehead, and heaved a huge sigh.

With the two of them crying their eyes out, Ignis didn’t hear the door open and didn’t notice someone had come in until a loud voice said, “What’s going on here?” 

Ignis blinked tears out of his eyes and found himself looking at the perplexed face of King Regis -- just in time to see him rush to Cor and kneel beside him.

“Six, Cor, are you all right?” the King said.

“NO I’m not all right,” Cor said. “I hit my head trying to keep these two crumbsnatchers from killing each other.”

“Are  _ they _ all right?” the King asked, looking at Noctis first and then Ignis. Ignis tried to stifle his sobs, but ended up hiccuping instead. 

“Well,” Cor said testily, “since I kept Noctis from hitting his head on the floor… yeah, I think so.”

“You saved him, but at what cost,” the King said, with a wry smile. “A noble sacrifice. Here.” The King handed Cor a blue vial that he conjured from midair. 

Cor drank it down. He made a face after he swallowed. “Can’t you do anything about the taste?” 

“Apologies,” King Regis said with a chuckle. “I’ve never managed a good-tasting potion. Perhaps Noctis will figure that out.” He stood, and held a hand out to Cor. “Here, my friend… why don’t you go get cleaned up.”

Cor took the king’s hand and stood. The gash in his forehead had closed up, but his face was still covered with blood. Ignis watched him stomp out the door.

“Dad!” Noctis cried, and ran to the King. “Dad, I’m sorry; I didn’t want Cor to get hurt!”

“It’s all right, son, I’m sure it was an accident.” 

“B… but it was because I was fighting Iggy,” Noctis said, his voice hushed.

“Iggy?” the King said, and looked at Ignis. “You were  _ fighting?  _ Noctis, we talked about this.”

Noctis started to cry again. “I didn’t want... Unca Cor to… get hurt…!” he said between sobs. 

Ignis sniffled, too. 

The King sighed, and sat on the nursery couch. He settled Noctis onto his lap, then patted the cushion beside him. Ignis climbed up and sat properly, hands in his lap. He tried to keep from sniffling, but his nose was dripping. He didn’t know if the nursery had a box of tissues. He tried to keep from wiping his nose on his sleeve; his mother had told him that was bad manners.

Then the King handed him a white square of cloth -- a handkerchief. “There we are,” the King said. “Clean up, there’s a good lad.” 

Ignis obediently took the handkerchief and wiped at his eyes and nose.

“Now,” King Regis said. “What is this Cor said about fighting?”

Noctis sniffled, and looked away; he clearly didn’t want to talk about it. Ignis wasn’t sure if it was his place to speak up -- but then King Regis turned to him. “Ignis?” he said.

Noctis looked at him miserably and sniffed. 

“Well…” Ignis said. “Noctis wanted to play the game, but he wasn’t following the rules, so I--”

“But I was playing the way I always play, and Miss Lenis never said--” 

“Now, now, Noctis,” the King said gently. “Let Ignis finish, and then I’ll hear what you have to say.”

They both looked at Ignis. He swallowed. “Um,” he said, suddenly nervous. “I had the box, and Prince Noctis pulled it and it broke. But Cor fixed it. And…” Ignis hesitated. 

“And?” the king prompted.

“Noctis called me a poopy-head.”

King Regis gasped and looked at his son. “Noctis!” he scolded.

“I didn’t mean it,” Noctis sobbed. 

Ignis’s eyes prickled, and he thought he might cry again but he didn’t want to do that in front of the King. He took a deep, trembling breath. 

Noctis finally settled into little hiccups and rubbed an arm over his eyes. 

“What do you say?” King Regis said.

Noctis sniffed. “I’m sorry, Iggy,” he whispered.

Ignis swallowed. “I’m sorry, too… about your game.” 

Then the door opened again, and Cor walked in. The blood was washed away -- all except for a spot on his shirt that looked darker than the rest of the black-and-grey. Cor scowled at them all. Ignis eyed Cor warily, but he seemed all right, if scary. 

The King settled Noctis on the couch beside Ignis, and stood. “Well, Cor,” he said. “I can see that babysitting duty may be too dangerous a mission for you. I’ll have to reassign you to something safer, I suppose.”

“Like the front lines in Gralea, maybe,” Cor muttered. 

The King chuckled. “Perhaps,” he said. “I’ll be sure to get you some hazard pay for the morning. Shall I get Clarus to relieve you for now?” 

Cor sighed. “He’ll never let me live this down,” he said.

“Nor will I, my friend,” King Regis said, and patted Cor’s shoulder. 

Cor winced. 

Ignis side-eyed Noctis and wondered if every day with the Prince was going to be this exciting.


End file.
